Here’s some of the latest out of CES in Las Vegas this week:
LTE chipmaker Sequans Communications announced its Monarch LTE Platform, an LTE Cat-M1 chip, has been certified to operate on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. The certification means Monarch is approved to operate on Verizon’s LTE Cat-M1 network and that devices based on Monarch can benefit from faster certification and time to market, Sequans noted. New LTE for IoT devices made by NimbeLink, Link Labs, and Encore Networks, all based on Monarch, have also recently been certified by Verizon and will be the first Monarch-powered devices to launch on the network.
The company said Monarch is the world’s first purpose-built IoT chip to appear in the market that is compliant with the 3GPP Release 13 LTE-Advanced standard defining narrowband LTE and developed to support low power and low data rate applications for the Internet of Things.
Sequans separately announced its Monarch chip has also been selected by Fibocom Wireless as the basis for a new family of LTE-M modules.
Sigma Designs, a provider of Smart TV platforms and IoT devices, announced Z-Wave SmartStart, an enhancement to the Z-Wave specification that vastly improves service provider installation of Z-Wave devices in the smart home.
According to Sigma, Z-Wave SmartStart pre-configures devices to the network before they reach the home, reducing the time service providers spend at the customer premise, thereby reducing costs and maximizing return on investment (ROI). In addition, the pre-configuration incorporates Z-Wave’s new Security 2 (S2) framework, providing additional security for smart home devices.
Gemalto, a provider of digital security, is supplying AT&T with a remote subscription management solution that will help enable its customers to deploy new and highly secure IoT applications in the United States and globally.
Gemalto said its LinqUS On-Demand Connectivity (ODC) subscription management solution and GSMA M2M 3.1 compliant Embedded SIMs (eSIMs) will simplify the logistics of providing mobile services for enterprises requiring global mobile connectivity for IoT applications and provide improved life cycle support for their subscriptions.
Panasonic CityNOW, a business of Panasonic Corporation of North America, and Silver Spring Networks announced a new go-to-market alliance that leverages Silver Spring’s Starfish IoT platform and CityNOW’s portfolio of solutions for cities, real estate developers, utilities, and other smart city customers.
The alliance between Panasonic and Silver Spring Networks supports CityNOW’s Safe and Smart Streets initiative, which turns a single-use asset often considered a liability—such as a street light—into a multi-use asset. The street light pole becomes the host for multiple smart and sustainable technologies with cross-cutting benefits: controllable smart LED lights that save energy and O&M costs, community WiFi, environmental sensing (e.g., temperature, air quality, light intensity), video cameras for public safety, and parking/traffic management.
Panasonic has deployed Silver Spring’s Starfish platform to connect and control LED streetlights at Peña Station NEXT, a 400-acre, mixed-use transit-oriented development adjacent to Denver International Airport. Panasonic has partnered with the City and County of Denver, Denver International Airport, utility Xcel Energy, developer LC Fulenwider LLC, and other stakeholders to make Peña Station NEXT an example of smart and sustainable solutions. The public-private partnership will utilize Peña as a test bed for technologies and business models before broader deployment throughout the Denver metro area and beyond.
Panasonic said it is also working on smart city planning and integration efforts around the world include cities in Germany, France, China, Japan, and others.
